Falling is Like This
by WolfPilot06
Summary: In the aftermath of Naruto's death, Sasuke struggles to keep his memory alive. SasuNaru, angst.
1. Prologue: The Fall

**Title:** Falling is Like This (Prologue)

**Author:** WolfPilot06

**Category: **Death, angst, timeskip and slightly AU. Deviates wildly from Kishimoto's timeline sometime after the Valley of the End. Language, shonen ai/yaoi.

**Pairing(s):** SasuNaru, maybe hints of others.

**Notes:** I'm going to attempt my hand at a multiparter. I've a horrible track history of finishing them, but this one promises that it'll try to keep itself short and simple. It stems from one idea, and hopefully _will not_ sprout unexpected plot deviations and developments.

--

He was falling.

_"Sakura-chan, don't worry!" He gave his teammate a blinding smile and a thumbs-up, trying to dispel the uneasy expression on her pretty face. "It's just a B-class mission. Sasuke and I could deliver this scroll to the Wave Country in our _sleep_. Just relax. We'll be back before you know it!"_

He was falling.

_"Shit! Naruto-!" A burning pain lanced through his side as he stumbled, Sasuke's startled warning ringing in his ears even as he struggled to turn around. Blood-slicked fingers fumbled in his weapons pouch, trying desperately to draw out a kunai for defense, his eyes locked upon those of the smirking Mist shinobi stalking around him. Behind him, he could hear metal clashing on metal as Sasuke faced off against two other enemy ninja, the sharp, clean scent of chakra searing his nose as jutsu after jutsu were cast. Ignoring the warm, metallic liquid dripping from his side, he grinned mirthlessly at his enemy._

_"Bring it on, asshole."_

He was falling.

_Naruto swore as he landed hard on his twisted ankle, feeling rather than hearing the bone snap under the sudden pressure. A kunai thudded solidly into his chest. His eyes widened, his mouth falling open as he coughed, brilliant crimson blood spattering the ground before him as he plucked helplessly at the hilt of the knife with weakening fingers. Agonizingly, he wrenched the knife out, another gush of lifeblood spewing from his lips, his vision blurring even as he staggered to his feet once more. _

He was falling.

_With a sudden surge of rage, he hurled the kunai at the Mist ninja, swearing as the man disappeared. Crimson-tinged blue eyes searched the clearing for signs of the disappeared man, noting in passing that Sasuke had already killed one of his shinobi and was currently wearing down the other, red Sharingan eyes spinning as the dark, slender Leaf-nin gracefully dodged his opponent's attacks. _

_Naruto froze as he felt a presence at his back. He had found his missing enemy. Warm breath brushed against the back of his neck, a sharp contrast to the cold metal pressed against his throat. He gulped, feeling the edge bite into his skin as his fingers falteringly moved into the all-too-familiar signs for Kawarimi no Jutsu. Something was screaming in his mind, urging him to _move_, but his hands were stumbling through the hand seals, and somehow, he knew, that this one momentary hesitation, this one instance of weakness would be his last._

He was falling.

_Fire sliced across his throat. There was blood in his mouth, bubbling in his suddenly choking breaths. He distantly felt his knees hit the ground, was vaguely aware of two fingers being touched to the back of his neck. He heard Kyuubi roaring in rage, red, scorching chakra somehow trapped behind golden bars, listened as his heartbeat thudded in his ears, faltering, slowing, stopping. _

_The last thing he heard was Sasuke screaming his name._

Uzumaki Naruto fell and knew no more.

--

To be continued…

--

Hmm, comments and criticism?

Wolf


	2. Chapter 1: The Aftermath

**Title: **Falling is Like This (1?)

**Author:** WolfPilot06

**Category:** Major character death, angst, timeskip, slightly AU, some language, shonen ai/yaoi implications, aaaannnd a hell of a lot of imagery. Possible OOC, seeing as several characters are suffering from a serious case of Intense Grief right now, and really, a lack of plot in this chapter.

**Pairing(s):** SasuNaru, maybe hints of others.

**Notes:** I'll have everyone know that this is my current pet project. I've already written chapter 2, as well, where the plot begins to get a move on, and am beginning Chapter 3. This is not intended to be an all-action fic of any sort; as is the case with most any of my fics, there is a hell of a lot of description and introspection involved. This fic centers on Sasuke's reaction to Naruto's death and how he chooses to deal with it. There is _more_ to the story, of course, because, as I said before, there is a plot, but my point is that there is a lot of Sasuke and Sasuke's thoughts in this.

Be as it may, I live on feedback. I am a self-admitted feedback whore. Feed me reviews, and I will blossom happily. Deprive me of reviews, and I wither away and die.

Enough of that. On to the fic!

--

The sky was mournfully gray, dark cumulonimbus clouds scudding across the windswept expanse like harbingers of grief and sorrow. The village of Konoha was uncharacteristically solemn, almost as if in response to the weather, citizens going cautiously along their ways and speaking in hushed whispers, subdued and quiet.

It was, Uchiha Sasuke thought darkly, a perfectly fitting day.

Turning away from his window, the Uchiha heir glared at the small, limp pile of clothing sitting innocently on the bed next to him. The outfit was black, and while this was no incredible deviation from Sasuke's normal apparel, the significance of the color served to deepen the scowl on his handsomely aristocratic face.

The last time he had worn this outfit had been when Sandaime died. It was too small for him now, of course, but he had dug it out from a box in the back of his closet, dusted it off, and persuaded a dubious tailor to make him a larger, better-fitting version.

His fist clenched convulsively on the cloth. He should _not_ have had to pull this outfit out again. Not so soon after the Sandaime's death; not so soon after his ignominious return to Konoha, when he had been carried on Naruto's back, bleeding, unconscious, and suffering from two broken legs as well as several cracked ribs, through the gates he had never thought he would enter again.

Naruto. _Naruto_.

With a snarl, Sasuke hurled the outfit away from himself. The clothes made a small 'pap' noise as they hit the wall before sliding down the surface, crumpling silently at the base. Sasuke stared at the sad, dark pile for a moment before slumping forward, resting his elbows on his knees and twisting his fingers in his hair painfully.

"Naruto," he whispered brokenly to the empty room. For a long time, he sat alone, the silence punctuated only by his harsh breathing and the sharp patter of rain against the windows.

Outside, the world mourned.

--

"It's raining."

Yamanaka Ino looked up at her best friend, the black armband in her hand momentarily forgotten. Sakura stood by the window, a slender hand placed against the cool glass as she gazed solemnly at the liquid fury sheeting from the heavens, lashing at the barrier as if trying to claw its way inside.

Ino was suddenly struck by how pale Sakura looked, the combination of the dark dress she was wearing and the washed-out sunlight draining the normally vibrant colors that composed her friend. The house was silent; Ino's parents had long ago left, bidding their daughter to meet with them at the flower shop later. They had been reluctant to let Ino go to the funeral at all, but she had been insistent; Ino was anything if not stubborn.

"Rather symbolic, don't you think?" she replied with a weak attempt at a smile. Sakura only sighed, resting her forehead on the glass beside her hand. Her breath fogged the surface faintly.

"He would have hated it." Sakura said sadly, "He always said he wanted to be buried on top of the Hokage monument on a sunny day." Pale fingers tightened, pressing hard against the window. "Tsunade-sempai put the funeral off as long as she could, but the weather just refused to let up."

Ino stood from her perch on the bed. She approached Sakura wordlessly and tied the dark cloth around her upper arm. Sakura merely touched the armband briefly and looked at Ino with dull, dry eyes.

"I helped prepare his body for the funeral," she said as though it was of no concern. Ino noticed the slight tremble in her otherwise steady voice, though, saw the way Sakura's hand tightened briefly around the armband. "He- he looks good. Sharp, even." The other girl turned from her to look out the window again, blinking rapidly. "He's got hisJounin vest on, like he would've liked it, and we cleaned up as best we could-" her voice hitched and she pressed trembling fingertips to her lips, stifling a sob. "We had to put his _hitae__-ate_ over his throat. He almost looks as if he's sleeping –"

Ino enfolded Sakura in a comforting embrace as her composure finally crumbled, tears dripping silently down her white face as sobs wracked her shaking body. Ino rocked the other girl slowly, pressing her lips to damp pink hair and murmuring meaningless nonsense in Sakura's ear, trying to comfort her as best she could.

"It was too soon," Sakura sobbed, "I never said 'yes', not even once. I always thought – so long as I never said 'yes', he'd have to keep asking, and he'd never _leave_, you know?"

"I know." Ino said.

--

The gathering on top of the Hokage monument was grave. Usually, only high-ranking dignitaries warranted large, public funerals; for all that Naruto had been irreplaceably dear to those close to him, Tsunade had been unable to grant him the funeral she had wanted. Instead, a very select few had been invited to attend the tiny ceremony. They drifted to the site in twos and threes, walking silently to the glass-faced closed coffin in which their friend lay.

Naruto looked peaceful. There was no other way to describe the almost foreign expression of contentment on his dead features, whiskered cheeks no longer distorted and stretched in insanely energetic expressions, chapped lips still and silent. A faint smile curved his mouth, and the tiny quirk on the right side gave him an impish look, almost as if he was waiting for just the right opportunity to pop out of his coffin, alive and well, and laugh about his newest prank.

The hunter-nin had done a good job of cleaning him up with Tsunade and Sakura's help. Only the slightest discolorations on his arms indicated the areas where the hunter-nin had injected chakra to destroy Naruto's chakra system from within. The seal, which had appeared at the moment of his death, was hidden beneath his clothing, and had been artfully combined with a few carefully chosen tattoos included to disguise the true purpose of the spiral markings. His hitae-ate cleverly concealed the wound that had ultimately taken Naruto's life, sparing his friends from seeing how Naruto's head had been half-severed from his body.

The entire effect, Sasuke thought, was grossly inappropriate.

He had hated the funeral from the moment he had set eyes upon it. It was completely unsuitable for his rival's death, he thought, and it was only out of respect for the others' grief that he kept his displeasure from showing on his face.

The huge bouquets of white lilies that Ino had donated surrounded the bier in a fragrant cloud, the rain dripping off the petals like tears. Naruto beamed at the assembled mourners from atop a small altar, surrounded by scrolls and various small remembrances given by his friends. The image had obviously been cut out of a larger picture; Sasuke could see his own hair peeking from the edge of the frame. It looked contrived, a poor attempt to cover the fact that nobody had ever thought to take a picture of Naruto himself.

Sasuke clenched his jaw and his fists, and tried to keep from screaming.

Tsunade made a short, heartfelt speech to Naruto's friends, speaking of his gallantry, his honesty, his loyalty. Hinata cried nearby, her tears mingling with the rain to drip from her face unnoticed; Kiba and Neji stood to either side of her, their stoic expressions barely masking their own grief as they silently offered their support to the heartbroken girl between them. Iruka was crumpled on the bier, openly sobbing and weeping as he clawed at the glass, as if his anguish could bring Naruto back to life. In the end, Kakashi had to lead the younger man away, his own face so world-weary and sad that Sasuke hardly recognized him.

_'This is all wrong_,' Sasuke thought, wanting to yell at them. Naruto would never have wanted them to cry for him. He would have wanted them to laugh, to remember his accomplishments, to remember _him_. This entire ceremony was a horrible insult to Naruto's memory. '_Naruto may be dead, but he isn't gone!_'

He left shortly after Tsunade finished her speech, and did not return.

--

To be continued.

--

Again, comments and criticism hungrily craved.

Wolf


	3. Chapter 2: The People Left Behind

**Title:** Falling is Like This (2?)

**Author:** WolfPilot06

**Pairing:** SasuNaru

**Warnings:** Slightly AU, shonen ai, death of major character, angst, slight language.

**Notes:** And with a little tiny bit of transition, Wolfie plunges into plot. Now, this was actually rather deliberate. When a person dies, life doesn't give you a break. It just goes on. This doesn't mean that the effects of a person's death aren't felt, though…

Please, if you read, please review. This is my current baby, and the fact that so few people seem to like it is a little disheartening.

* * *

Life went on after Uzumaki Naruto died.

The world did not seem to care that Konoha's number one ninja at surprising people had pulled his ultimate unexpected trump card and _died_. Konoha still received missions, Tsunade still had to issue orders, and Naruto's friends still had to carry them out.

It was all terribly unfair.

--

Tsunade sighed, tapping her pen against the desktop in a rapid staccato as she peered blearily at the two shinobi standing across from her. Dusk had fallen long ago, and though there was nothing Tsunade would have loved more than to be able to fall asleep at her desk, she had work to do. Tsunade began doodling on her blotter, ignoring the fact that Shizune would take her to task for defacing the fifth one this week.

"Where _is_ he?" she burst out irritably. Shikamaru sighed, shifting his weight and looking at the ceiling in bored askance.

"He's been late to practically every mission briefing since – " he paused, his easy-going expression tightening for a moment as he grimaced. "Let's just say that he's not taking Naruto's death well."

"None of us are," Tsunade muttered darkly. Still, her anger abated a little. They were all suffering in the aftermath of Naruto's death. Half the time, they found themselves waiting for a familiar boisterous voice to hail them from down the street or turning upon seeing a spot of orange in their peripheral vision. It was almost as if Naruto's ghost walked the streets of Konoha, his face and laughter so fresh in their memories as to almost be real.

"Well – " The second shinobi piped up uncertainly, her pale face drawn and weary, "H-He almost seems – _angry_. It's as if he blames N-Naruto-kun for…for d-d-dying." Her voice trailed away.

Tsunade viewed the delicate Hyuuga heir sympathetically. Of all of Naruto's friends, Hinata had taken Naruto's death particularly hard. One didn't have to be a genius to figure that the girl had been desperately in love with the irascible blond, and that he had never thought to realize that she did.

"In a way, he is." Shikamaru scowled at the floorboards, lazily scuffing patterns in the dust with the toe of his shoe, "He and Naruto were always weirdos. They had this twisted agreement that they'd be the ones to kill each other, or something." A half-wry, half-sad smile twisted his lips. "We even had a betting pool as to when they'd finally snap and strangle each other to death."

"How interesting," noted a cool voice. Shikamaru stiffened, his expression growing wary. The Uchiha heir was perched on the windowsill, dark eyes boring into the genius relentlessly. Shikamaru shuddered at the violence implicit in Sasuke's gaze and found himself calculating the chances that he'd be able to catch Sasuke's shadow before Chidori found itself a new home in his chest. "I'd be fascinated to know what your bet was, Nara."

The shadow-user licked his suddenly dry lips nervously, noting as he did that Tsunade had straightened imperceptibly in her chair, and that Hinata subtly had placed herself between Shikamaru and Sasuke.

"I didn't place a bet," Shikamaru said, his voice calmer than he felt, "I figured the probability of your actually killing each other was too small." He smiled weakly, "I thought the chances of Naruto choking to death on ramen were much higher."

Sasuke snorted quietly and stood, approaching his two fellow shinobi with catlike grace. Shikamaru only relaxed when his companion came to a stop on Hinata's other side and faced Tsunade, hands akimbo at his sides as if he'd been standing there the entire while, waiting for Tsunade's orders.

The Fifth Hokage sighed loudly, muttered something about troublesome brats under her breath, and pushed a folder across her desk. The tension in the room immediately shifted as the three Leaf-nin snapped to attention.

"I'm sending you three on a B-ranked reconnaissance mission," Tsunade said without preamble, "Apparently, around Kirigakure, there have been multiple sightings of dead people come to life."

The three looked at her incredulously, though Sasuke's look was more of a disbelieving glance before he went back to perusing the contents of the folder. Tsunade laced her fingers together and rested her chin on them.

"The Mist shinobi are baffled as to the origins of these sightings. They claim that it's not _genjutsu_, though it would have to be a pretty high-level one to confuse so many people at one time."

Sasuke next gave the folder to Shikamaru, dark eyes shifting back to watch Tsunade silently.

"A lot of trouble seems to originate in Kirigakure," Shikamaru noted dryly after scanning the mission report quickly and giving it to Hinata. "That Zabuza guy Team Seven fought came from there, as did that shark-faced Akatsuki member and Orochimaru's pet psycho."

Tsunade snorted at Shikamaru's referral to the Kaguya clan member that Gaara and Lee had reported fighting, though she secretly agreed that anyone who followed Orochimaru so blindly had to be either incredibly stupid or psychotic to an extreme.

"What are you suggesting we do?" she asked, amused, "I can't exactly send a task force down there to wipe them out. We've got a tentative treaty of sorts with them, and they still have five of their Seven Swordsmen."

"We've got _him_." Shikamaru suggested jokingly, hooking at thumb at the impassive Sasuke. His expression grew serious again. "As far as I can determine, our mission is merely to determine the source of the trouble." He carefully watched her face, "We're not to deal with the problem if we do find it, though?"

Tsunade shook her head.

"Kirigakure hasn't given us permission to act on their land," she said, "They've only asked us to lend them the Sharingan and Byakugan to look into the matter. They lack _doujutsu_ users."

Sasuke merely grunted, though Hinata nodded her understanding. Surprisingly, it was she who spoke next.

"Tsunade-sama," she began hesitantly, "These reports seem a little odd. It seems as if the 'living dead' possess actual, corporeal forms, rather than illusionary bodies." Hinata leafed through the report again, pulling out a page. "In this report, it says that the dead retained some characteristics from when they were alive, and that their movements were jerky and erratic. If it were _genjutsu_, one would think that the caster would make the reanimated dead look, well, more reanimated, no?"

Tsunade nodded, contemplating the Hyuuga's words. Hinata had a great deal of sense when she wasn't busy stuttering and being uncertain; Tsunade had learned to value her insight greatly.

"It might be an imperfect _genjutsu_," Tsunade suggested, "These dead people don't seem to be doing much more than stumbling around and staring at people. Someone may merely be trying to perfect the technique."

Again, Hinata spoke, her voice thoughtful.

"Somehow, I don't think so, Tsunade-sama," she disagreed, "My instinct is telling me that this is something of a game. The dead appear around people they once knew, and after they've gotten the people's attention, they disappear again. It's almost as if the person summoning them is playing around with people's minds."

Shikamaru straightened a little at that, his bored expression becoming a bit more alert at Hinata's words. The other three present glanced at him, all too familiar with the calculating look on his face.

"You have a theory, don't you, Shikamaru?" Tsunade said, arching an eyebrow.

The shadow-user looked slightly shifty.

"I do, and I don't," he said evasively. "I'll have to see these 'living dead' myself to be sure, though. If it's alright, we'll leave tomorrow at daybreak. We should reach Kirigakure by nightfall; we'll rest tomorrow night and investigate these so-called 'living dead' the day after."

Tsunade nodded and gave Sasuke, who had yet to say anything on the matter, a searching look.

"What about you, Sasuke? Do you have any ideas?"

Sasuke's expression remained bland, but for a moment, Tsunade swore she saw his gaze darken, as if in response to a particularly bad memory. He shook his head slightly. Tsunade frowned; the Uchiha scion was keeping something from her, but whatever it was, she would have a hell of a time prying it from his stubborn mouth.

Sighing, Tsunade waved her hand limply at them.

"Go off, then. Get some rest. I expect you back by the end of the week; send a report if you encounter enemies and need help. Dismissed!"

She turned back to the reports lying on her desk, waiting until after she heard the distinctive 'pop' of teleportation jutsus before she allowed herself to relax again. Sighing heavily, she half-heartedly picked through a few complaints submitted regarding mismatched mission assignments, mentally making a note to shove the matter at some hapless flunky later. It took her a moment to realize that she was not alone.

"What is it, Sasuke?" she asked without looking up.

"Have you heard anything regarding the people I asked about before?" His deep timbre voice was deceptively calm, a hidden, dark undertone of barely restrained anger lying beneath the composed veneer. Tsunade shook her head slowly.

"Sasuke," she said quietly, "All we have to work with is that the ones who attacked you were Mist shinobi. We don't know why – "

She barely kept from flinching as Sasuke's hands slammed on her desk, a pile of papers tottering off the edge from the force of the blow. Furious Sharingan eyes bored into her apprehensive gaze as she leaned back, trying to keep calm.

"They were after Naruto!" he half-yelled. The surface of the desk splintered as he dug his fingers into the wood. Tsunade stared at Sasuke, unable to reconcile the unflappable, stoic Uchiha heir with the snarling creature before her. "After he died, they fucking ran _away!_ They didn't even try to get the scroll. It was on Naruto's body, and they didn't even bother _looking _for it!"

"You know that Naruto was murdered. _I_ know Naruto was murdered, but damn it, Sasuke, he was a shinobi! He knew the risks of taking missions just as well as you and I!" There were tears burning her eyes, but she furiously refused to let them fall. She _couldn't_. Naruto had been like a little brother to her – he had been the embodiment of all her hope and faith in humanity. When Sasuke had returned, alone, blood-spattered, and homicidal, and reported Naruto's death, Tsunade had felt her heart freeze within her chest. Sasuke wasn'tthe only one upset by Naruto's death; Tsunade wanted nothing – _nothing_ – more than to be able to find his murderers and gut them with her bare hands, but she was the Hokage. More than anything, she held the position Naruto had so deeply coveted, and she would be damned if she was going to sully his memory by neglecting the duty he'd cherished so much.

"Shinobi _die_, Sasuke. If we hunted down every enemy shinobi that killed one of ours, there'd _be_ no shinobi left."

"If it was in the course of a mission, I'd understand," he snarled, though Tsunade doubted he really would. "But they were _targeting_ Naruto! Why the hell would they? Naruto was just – he was an _idiot_, a _moron_, the fucking _dead-last_. What could be gained from killing Naruto?"

"Think, Sasuke!" She snapped, standing abruptly and meeting Sasuke glower for glower. "You of all people should be able to put one and one together and figure out why they would have wanted Naruto dead. Naruto told me what happened at the Valley of the End. Put your so-called genius to use. _You_ tell me why they killed him!"

They glared at each other, violent crimson eyes meeting defiant golden ones in a clash of wills. For a long moment, there was no sound apart from that of their heaving breaths.

Slowly, bit by bit, Sasuke's grip upon the edge of the desk eased, his expression slipping back into its usual blank state. Tsunade watched the transformation apprehensively, setting her jaw as she watched Sasuke deduce the meaning behind her words.

"Kyuubi no Youko."

Tsunade nodded and sank back in her chair, though she didn't look away from Sasuke's face. It was impossible to tell what the man was thinking.

"You have to understand," she said quietly, "As the Hokage, I cannot do anything. To demand retribution would be to start the shinobi wars all over again."

Sasuke's eyes flashed, and Tsunade could guess what he wanted to say, that he could care less about starting a shinobi war if it meant getting revenge for Naruto's untimely death. She raised a hand to cut him off. Locking eyes with him again, she chose her words carefully.

"As the Hokage, I _cannot_ allow you to pursue Naruto's murderers. As the Hokage, I _forbid_ you from deviating from your mission while in Kirigakure. If I find that you have acted rashly, I will be forced to punish you accordingly." She paused meaningfully, watching realization dawn in Sasuke's expression. "I am sure that, while you are investigating the origins of the disturbances reported, you will utilize your time efficiently to solve the mystery and find the culprits responsible. You are to report on every aspect of your mission upon your return. Do you understand?"

Slowly, Sasuke nodded, his eyes fixed upon hers. "I do."

Tsunade smiled grimly.

"I'm glad we have an understanding."

* * *

To be continued…

* * *

Again, comments and criticism most deeply appreciated.

Wolf


	4. Chapter 3: The Calm Before the Storm

**Title:** Falling is Like This (3?)

**Author:** WolfPilot06

**Pairing:** SasuNaru

**Warnings:** Slightly AU, shonen ai, death of major character, angst, slight language.

**Notes:** I'm so impatient. See, I have this thing where I'm trying to keep a chapter or two ahead of what I post on and so far I've succeeded marvelously. I'm about halfway through chapter 4, but I can't seem to pace myself. Theoretically speaking, I should probably post a chapter a week, but agggh. I just can't wait that long. So, in an effort to tame my impulsive posting habits, I'll give you a super-short chapter. Nothing special happens in this chapter, but I thought it was a necessary scene. Think of it as the interlude. The title explains its significance, in a way.

--

"Can't sleep?"

Sasuke did not look at the green-eyed girl leaning over the railing of Naruto's (_former_) apartment, choosing instead to tilt his head back to gaze at the moon. He shrugged one shoulder nonchalantly, waiting for her to speak. She sighed and hopped over the railing, landing next to him lightly.

"Hinata told me that you were all going to Kirigakure," she said quietly, unwilling to break the calm spell of silence the night had woven upon the village. Pale hands twisted together behind her back as she, too, ostensibly turned to contemplate the moon, though Sasuke was well aware that she was watching him from the corner of her eye. Years before on a night similar to this, perhaps he would have scoffed, knowing the reason for which she watched him, but tonight was not like previous nights. Tonight, the ties that had bound them were frayed and strained, some of them wholly severed by the absence of their comrade and friend.

He made a sound of acquiescence. The night stretched around them, heavy and ponderous, a breeze whispering over the nearby rooftops and carrying with it warnings of things to come. Sasuke irritably banished his thoughts, counting them off to the anxiety thrumming through his veins, the very thing which had driven him to wander through empty streets, inevitably bringing him to his late rival's apartment.

"Why are you here?"

Sakura started slightly, as if she had not expected Sasuke to speak to her; in hindsight, Sasuke thought, she probably hadn't. The girl twisted her fingers together, an uneasy frown settling upon her wide brow as she contemplated his words.

"I was remembering," she said, hushed and quiet. There was sorrow underlying her words. Sasuke felt something within his chest resonate in response to her heartache. He turned his face from her, blinking hard a few times and refusing to give in to the grief-stricken wail that had been echoing in his heart from the moment he had heard Naruto's body fall to the ground. Firmly, he quenched that part of his heart with anger, at himself and at those who had slipped from his grasp after killing Naruto. Later, perhaps, he would allow himself to grieve; for now, he had to rely on his fury and his vengeance to find Naruto's murderers and bring them to justice. Only then would he be able to mourn in peace.

"What are they doing with his apartment?" Sasuke asked after he'd gotten himself in control, eyeing the dark, sad-looking doorway that he'd seen Naruto come through so many times before. For a moment, he swore he saw a grinning boy stepping out into the hallway, adjusting an unmarred _hitae__-ate_ over his brow before laughing and dashing down the stairs. Sasuke blinked, and the apparition disappeared. Sakura turned to look with him, pale lips twisting sadly together.

"Tsunade-sempai is taking his things," she said quietly, "She didn't want anyone else having them. He didn't have much – just some posters, that silly nightcap of his, some weapons and clothes." Sakura trailed off, her eyes dark and brooding. Her voice became hard. "They're selling his apartment. The manager wanted to tear it down and rebuild it, saying something about infection and- and claiming how he wouldn't be able to rent it off again, because nobody would want to live in the same apartment as '_that monster_'. Tsunade-sempai nearly punched him." Sakura smiled grimly. "I have no such compunctions, though. I – _persuaded_ him to keep the apartment as is."

Sasuke looked at her, surprised by his teammate's vehemence. Apparently, in the time he had been gone, things had drastically changed between the remaining two members of Team Seven. Gone was the silly girl who had mooned after him when they were all twelve; he stood now next to a young woman, mature and caring and heartbroken over the loss of the person she'd always regarded as an irritating little brother.

"Thank you," he murmured, and that same wail twisted in his heart again. He paused, hesitating. "He would have appreciated that."

Sakura smiled sadly at him. "You think?"

Sasuke nodded. They stood in silence for a while, lost in their own thoughts. Naruto's absence was almost tangible, his presence zinging at the edge of Sasuke's senses like a constant thrum. It was as if he had lost an important limb; consciously, he knew it was not there any more, but phantom pains continued to haunt him.

"Are you going to look for them?" Sakura said abruptly. Sasuke glanced at her; her face was dark and menacing, completely unlike the Sakura he knew. Her lips were pressed in a tight, white line, and there was determination in her eyes, as well as some resignation. They both knew who she was talking of. "I can't come with you." She looked annoyed, "Tsunade-sempai wouldn't let me. But you will find them, right? They can't just get away with killing Naruto."

"Vengeance, Sakura?" Sasuke said, his tone amused, though his eyes were anything but. "You're beginning to sound like me."

"I'm beginning to understand how you must have felt, really." Sakura said, sounding grim.

All traces of amusement disappeared from Sasuke's face as he turned towards her fully.

"I'll find them," he promised quietly, locking his serious gaze with hers. "There's no hole in the world deep enough to hide them from me."

Sakura nodded slowly. She sighed, kicking at the ground with the toe of her sandal, suddenly seeming much younger than a moment before. Her eyes were suspiciously bright.

"It's good that you were his friend, Sasuke," she whispered, "He always promised me he'd bring you back, and he did. Who knew that one day, nobody on earth would have the power to do the same for him?"

Sasuke shuddered at her words, rubbing unconsciously at his arms as a chill traveled down his spine. He had not quite come to grips with the fact that Naruto would never be _there_ anymore. Some part of his consciousness was in denial, trying desperately to believe that the past few days had been nothing but a cruel, nightmarish hoax, a sadistic test of his sanity. Looking at Sakura's weary face, he realized that she had already come to accept the truth.

"He's not gone yet, Sakura," Sasuke said softly, "He's not gone until we've all forgotten him."

"Sentimentality, Sasuke?" Sakura laughed after a startled pause, "That's incredibly out of character for you."

"Sometimes," he said thoughtfully, gray eyes narrowing, and hesitated, "Sometimes things aren't the way they seem."

She gave him a questioning look, bewildered by his statement, but he offered no further explanation. Instead, he stuffed his hands deep within his pockets and began to walk away into the night. Sakura watched his back wistfully for a moment, remembering with a twinge how she had once pledged that Naruto and Sasuke would be the ones watching her back.

'_Leave it to Naruto to exit with a bang_,' she thought sadly, '_In the end, we watched his back while he left us all behind._'

Sakura waited until Sasuke was gone, and then, with one last glance at Naruto's apartment, she left.

--

To be continued…

--

Please review if you read! It lets me know what I can improve and what you already like about the fic. Thank you!

Wolf


	5. Chapter 4: The Mystery

**Title:** Falling is Like This (4?)

**Author:** WolfPilot06

**Pairing:** SasuNaru

**Warnings:** Slightly AU, shonen ai, death of major character, angst, slight language, slight lime.

**Notes:** So here I have for you a somewhat longer chapter. Unfortunately, I think I'll be taking a brief break from Falling is Like This to possibly write the next installment of "Of Rivalry and Rules". I love this fic, and I've been working hard on it, but I don't want to burn out on it. It's already looking to be much longer than I originally planned for it to be, the blasted thing.

Anyways, in this chapter, we have the promised SasuNaru. I really, really loved writing this scene, and I'm incredibly proud of it. XD

Someone (**JoriWinter**) mentioned that the entire fic was good except for how Naruto died. It made me grin to read that review, 'cause I know that Naruto's death seemed to be incredibly ignominious. Not everyone has the heroic death they deserve, and not everybody gets their happy ending. There's a reason for Naruto dying like he did, and it's not just 'cause I like to take my characters down a notch or two. Sasuke also wants to know how Naruto died like that, and he starts thinking about it here.

--

In the hours leading up to dawn, Sasuke lay restlessly in his bed. After leaving Sakura at Naruto's apartment, he'd returned to his own, intent on catching a few hours of sleep before meeting with Shikamaru and Hinata. It hadn't taken him more than ten minutes to gather up what he needed for the mission; most of his things were still packed from his abruptly aborted mission with Naruto.

However, as he'd lain in his bed, waiting for slumber to take him into its oblivious embrace, several things had begun to haunt him. He hadn't had much time to contemplate Naruto's death in full these past few days, distracted as he was by the funeral and still, in some measure, suffering from an unhealthy dose of denial. The conversation with Sakura, however, had driven him to the rather reluctant decision that it was time to come to grips with reality. With that decision had come many questions and various things about the circumstances surrounding Naruto's murder that simply didn't make sense. The more he thought about them, the more they bothered him, until he gave up on sleep in favor of contemplation.

First and foremost, how the _hell_ had Naruto died from a slit throat?

The blond jounin had been the recipient of much worse injuries, most of them courtesy of Sasuke himself. While he shuddered to remember the epic battle that had taken place between he and his rival at the Valley of the End five years ago, those same memories offered mute testimony to the fact that an injury like the one that had killed Naruto simply _shouldn't_ have.

Had Naruto possessed normal regenerative powers and healed at the same rate as other humans, Sasuke should have killed him multiple times in the Valley of the End. First, when he'd tied Naruto to the outcropping of rocks and tried to burn his rival to a crisp; second, when he'd slammed Naruto into the ground headfirst (there were times when he thought that Naruto _had_ been dead for those horrible, long moments that followed; when Naruto's body, his neck bent at an impossible angle, his eyes wide and staring, had fallen to the ground limply; when Naruto had drifted away from him on the surface of the water like so much driftwood – it had been with inexpressible relief and horror that Sasuke had seen Naruto's body rise like a limp marionette teased to life by its master, bubbling with chakra and rage and sorrow); and third, when he'd driven Chidori straight through Naruto's chest.

Yet, Naruto had healed from each horrific injury, the strange, scorching chakra that Sasuke had only recently figured was due to the demon sealed within his rival's belly bringing him back from the edge of death again and again. It was nothing that Naruto did consciously; it was Kyuubi's own self-preservation that caused it to heal Naruto.

So why, then, hadn't the Kyuubi healed Naruto that one, vital time?

Sasuke turned onto his back and stared blankly at the ceiling. In his mind, he could see Naruto's body falling, his wide blue eyes staring at Sasuke as if in astonishment, a fine red spray bursting from his throat even as he tried to gasp –

Abruptly, Sasuke sat up. '_His wide blue eyes_' – Naruto hadn't been using Kyuubi's chakra at all when he'd died, and yet Sasuke could have sworn he'd seen a tiny hint of it earlier in the fight, when Naruto had been looking about the clearing. Had Kyuubi withdrawn its support for some reason? Had something caused Naruto to be unable to use Kyuubi's chakra?

With a silent curse, Sasuke flopped back down on his mattress and punched his pillow in frustration. Too many things didn't make sense.

Then there was that second thing bewildering Sasuke.

How had the Mist shinobi been able to sneak up on and attack them so easily? Even if Naruto had somehow been incapacitated, Sasuke should have been able to detect them. Yet, he hadn't so much as noticed suppressed chakra as they'd traveled down the familiar road between Konoha and the port town where they had planned to board a ship to Water Country. The attack had been sudden, catching both Konoha-nin by surprise. Had Sasuke somehow been inattentive? Had some slip in his vigilance led to Naruto's death?

Sasuke groaned and covered his head with his pillow. He was getting himself nowhere agonizing over this and was only serving to deprive himself of sleep this way. In less than four hours, they would depart for Kirigakure, and Sasuke could begin to hunt down Naruto's murderers. Perhaps, then, he would be able to figure out the mystery of Naruto's death.

Until then, though, he would have to try to suppress his wandering thoughts and catch a few hours of sleep.

--

Sasuke was warm.

He stirred sleepily as his pillow moved beneath his head and grumbled, wrapping both his arms around the comfortable warmth and stubbornly holding on. The pillow began to rumble and move – was his pillow _laughing_ at him?

A dark gray eye, bleary with sleep, opened slowly to find itself confronted with an expanse of smooth, tanned skin and a nipple. Further contemplation revealed that it was quite a nice nipple, with a wonderful set of bite marks surrounding it that Sasuke recognized as being his. He smirked, remembering exactly how those bite marks had come to be.

"Oi," said a husky voice, sounding amused as a finger prodded at Sasuke's head, "Stop staring at my nipple and wake up, you horny bastard."

"But it's such a nice nipple." Sasuke murmured, and moved to demonstrate just how much he appreciated said nipple by nuzzling his cheek against it. He could feel Naruto's stomach muscles tense beneath him as he breathed gently across the little nub, watching as it hardened beneath his ministrations. A hand moved into his line of sight, covering the object of his attentions, and he frowned in disappointment.

"Sasuke," Naruto said, trying to sound annoyed but failing miserably, "We have to get up. We're meeting Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei for lun- hey!"

Sasuke had decided to ignore whatever it was Naruto was saying, deeming it unimportant in light of the fact that Naruto had left his other nipple vulnerable. With a great deal of sadistic concentration, he began to tease the rose-colored flesh, alternating between laving it with his tongue and gently rolling it between his teeth. Naruto's breath hitched in his chest and he made a funny noise that sounded like a cross between a whimper and a groan. Sasuke almost smiled, but the expression quickly turned into a scowl as Naruto shoved his head away and grabbed his own pillow, hugging it to his chest and glaring at him with furious blue eyes.

"_Listen_ to me when I'm talking, asshole!" Naruto snapped. Sasuke was placated to notice that his cheeks were flushed and settled on Naruto's legs, propping his chin up with one hand braced against the mattress. It wasn't the most comfortable of positions, but it let him smirk at Naruto's discomfited expression.

"Why?" He asked lazily, trailing a finger along the length of Naruto's calf, "Can I help it if parts of you are incredibly distracting?"

Naruto blushed even further and jerked his leg away from Sasuke's hand, which was beginning to move higher.

"We don't have _time_ for your libido, oh randy one," Naruto growled, his face still red, "Like I said, we're supposed to meet Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei in less than an hour – will you _stop that?_"

Sasuke was nuzzling against the inside of Naruto's thigh, his smile predatory.

"We have more than enough time," he murmured against pale, soft skin, pressing a line of kisses there and grinning as the muscles twitched under his attentions. He was pleased to note that something else was also twitching in response to his ministrations. "Sakura and Kakashi can wait."

"Sasuke –" Naruto's attempt at sounding stern was lost when his voice cracked, "_Sasuke_, damn it, if – ah – if you don't _stop_ then – nngh – _no sex for two weeks!_"

_That_ brought Sasuke up short. He glared up at Naruto, who was looking a little short of breath and was glaring back at him with equal irritation. With a sigh, he sat up - to Naruto's great relief - and ran a hand through his sleep-mussed hair.

"Do we have to?" he said plaintively. He would much prefer spending his Saturday in bed with Naruto to meeting with the other members of the former Team 7 for lunch. Naruto grinned in amusement at his quasi-pout, reaching out to lay a slender finger against his lips.

"Yes, we have to." Naruto said with exaggerated patience, ignoring Sasuke as he began to lick and nibble at his fingertip. "For all that I know you enjoy being a recluse and avoiding the rest of humanity, a little social interaction won't kill you."

"I don't like avoiding the rest of humanity," Sasuke breathed, rubbing against the inside of Naruto's wrist and tasting the pulse there, "That would mean avoiding you. And I get plenty of _social interaction_ just staying here – in bed – with you." He smirked.

Naruto turned a brilliant shade of crimson and buffeted Sasuke's head with the pillow he was still clutching.

"Pervert," he muttered and began to climb out of the bed, "Honestly, Kakashi-sensei has rubbed off on you, I swear – "

He yelped as an arm slid around his waist, pulling him back onto the bed. His protests were cut off as a pair of warm lips slid over his, coaxing him into returning the kiss. Sasuke smiled as Naruto moaned, and deepened the kiss, falling into the taste and feel of his lover.

Minutes later, they broke apart, panting softly for breath. Naruto's eyes were narrowed in question, a tiny hint of suspicion in his sated gaze. Sasuke merely smiled and kissed Naruto again briefly.

"Good morning, Naruto," he said quietly, resting his forehead against Naruto's. Cerulean eyes widened and then softened as Naruto smiled.

"Good morning, Sasuke." A moment later, he grinned mischievously and smacked Sasuke's shoulder, effectively ruining the mood. "Now get your lazy ass out of bed."

--

Sasuke woke slowly, his hand grasping blindly for the familiar warmth of Naruto's body as the cold of the room became more pronounced with his waking. He shivered.

"Naruto?" he called sleepily, not yet completely awake, "Could you close the window? It's freezing in here."

Silence answered him. Then, someone sighed.

"Uchiha," said a vaguely familiar voice hesitantly, "Uchiha, wake up. It's time for us to go."

Sasuke came to his senses abruptly, a horrible emptiness settling in his chest as he realized where he was. The bed beside him was cold (_he had unconsciously slept on his own side of his bed, forgetting that Naruto was no longer there to occupy the other half_), and Shikamaru stood by the open window, his expression uncomfortable. There was a mixture of pity and sadness in his eyes as he looked at Sasuke. The Uchiha closed his eyes for a moment, pushing away the memories still fresh in his mind; when he opened them again, his face was impassive.

"What time is it?" he asked flatly. Shikamaru sighed again, but evidently decided to play along.

"It's half an hour before dawn. We were supposed to meet at the gate twenty minutes ago, but when you didn't show, I figured you'd forgotten to set your alarm."

Thankfully, Shikamaru didn't say anything else as Sasuke quickly went through the motions of getting ready, donning his uniform and perfunctorily washing his face and brushing his teeth before rejoining Shikamaru in the bedroom. Silently, he closed the window and walked towards the front door, listening as Shikamaru sighed yet again before falling into step.

Despite the fact that Sasuke had been late in meeting Shikamaru and Hinata, they were still early for their departure; the gates would not open until dawn, and so they walked through the waking streets of Konoha instead of going over the rooftops. Sasuke was aware of the small, uncertain sidelong glances Shikamaru kept giving him, but steadfastly ignored them.

They were about three blocks away from the gates when Shikamaru, evidently having had enough, abruptly spoke.

"Why didn't you ever tell anyone?"

Sasuke tensed. When Shikamaru continued to look at him steadily, he forced himself to relax, scowling.

"What, that I have dreams of my dead teammate?" The Uchiha snorted, pretending not to know what Shikamaru was talking about, "It's enough that they think I'm a homicidal maniac, thanks."

The pony-tailed _jounin _sighed irritably and actually glared at him.

"No, you troublesome idiot," Shikamaru said, annoyed, "Why didn't you and Naruto ever tell anyone that you were together?"

Sasuke looked away. There was a dead weight in his chest that threatened to choke him as he struggled to maintain his infamous composure. He closed his eyes.

"Was it anyone's business?"

Shikamaru was giving him another one of those looks, he could tell, but he didn't care.

It wasn't, really. So what if he and Naruto had been together? So what if their relationship had evolved beyond the norms of rivalry and friendship? It had been between the two of them and the two of them alone, and while they hadn't been afraid of (or cared about) other people rejecting their relationship, they simply hadn't felt the need to share.

It was their own private heaven, and they hadn't wanted anyone else intruding upon it.

Lost in his own thoughts as he was, he nearly broke Shikamaru's wrist when the other man placed a hand on his shoulder. When he looked at the notoriously lazy _jounin _for an explanation, his brow creased in inquiry, Shikamaru merely sighed and awkwardly patted him twice before dropping his arm to his side again.

"I'm sorry," he said simply, "I know you're a bastard, and I don't like you any more for it, but you made him happy. And I know he did the same for you."

Sasuke stared at the gates, his eyes distant, and didn't reply.

He didn't need to. They both knew what Shikamaru had said was true.

They left for Kirigakure when the sun rose.

--

To be continued…

--

Comments and Criticism, please.

Just for clarification: yes, Sasuke and Naruto were together before Naruto died, but nobody knew about it, as they felt no need to make it public knowledge. Shikamaru, being Shikamaru, guessed, but didn't say anything, seeing as they never brought it up to him.

Wolf


	6. Interlude

**Title: **Falling is Like This (Interlude)

**Author:** WolfPilot06

**Category:** AU, angst, deviant timeline, timeskip, deathfic.

**Pairing(s):** SasuNaru, some hints of others.

**Notes:** I'm really sorry for the long wait. I've ditched and rewritten chapter 5 about seven times already, and, well, it's still not done. But it's about halfway finished! I generally have a No-Writing Policy during the school year, which is why I'm typically unproductive from September to May. Anyways, this was originally the introductory scene for Chapter 5, but I've decided to separate it and make it into an interlude. Enjoy!

--

It was nighttime, the comfortable silence brought by the dark broken only by the heavy patter of rain against the windows and the occasional crash of thunder from outside. Inside the warm bedroom, two figures lay curled together on the bed, one half-asleep and pretending to be unconscious, the other wide awake and watching with fascination as the storm raged over the village of Konoha.

"Y'know, I used to be scared of thunderstorms when I was little."

The voice was hushed and reverent as the smaller of the two boys spoke, blue eyes fixed upon the heavens as a fork of lightning speared through the dense cloud cover in a brilliant flash of light. Sasuke sighed, giving up the pretense of sleep, and reached out to pull Naruto into his arms, burying his face against sleep-mussed blond tresses. Naruto's hair smelled fragrant and warm, of muted sunshine and summer, a hint of the cheap, floral shampoo he used interspersing the familiar scent.

"Mm?" he answered coherently when he had comfortably settled Naruto in his embrace, legs and arms tangled together until it was difficult to tell which limb belonged to whom. "I can't really imagine you being afraid of anything."

Naruto laughed quietly, wriggling back against Sasuke as he continued to watch the rain lash the windows. Absently, he began to trace patterns along Sasuke's arms with his fingers, tilting his head as Sasuke shifted and buried his face in the crook between Naruto's neck and shoulder instead.

"I was only six then," Naruto said philosophically, "I wasn't a big mighty hero yet."

"I have to say," Sasuke murmured teasingly against Naruto's neck, "You're still not exactly a _big_ mighty hero yet."

Naruto whacked Sasuke's hand and tried to crane his neck back to glare at Sasuke, who merely chuckled and kissed Naruto's upturned, scowling lips.

"Oi, stop making fun of me," Naruto grumbled into Sasuke's mouth, though he returned Sasuke's kiss enthusiastically, "Just because you're taller than me by a bare three inches – "

"Actually, it's more like six," Sasuke quipped, and grinned as Naruto tried to punch him.

"_Any_ways," Naruto said, attempting to sound aloof even as Sasuke turned his attention to the slender column of his neck, "As I was saying, I used to be scared of thunder – _ah_ – "

Sasuke smiled against Naruto's skin and began concentrating on the small patch of skin that had elicited Naruto's surprised gasp, mischievously flicking his tongue over the smooth surface and suckling lightly. Naruto's fingers clutched convulsively over Sasuke's for a moment as he momentarily lost his train of thought.

"_Sasuke­ _– " Naruto whined, half-gasping as Sasuke continued to lave attention on that sensitive patch of skin. His dark-haired lover took pity on him and withdrew after one last lap.

"Why were you afraid of thunder?" he asked curiously, partly to show that he had been paying attention to what his lover had been saying, partly because he honestly wanted to know. In the few months they had been together, it was rare that either of them chose to disclose anything about themselves to one another, some remnant of their fierce rivalry lingering in their relationship. "It's just noise."

Naruto lay where Sasuke had left him, head still tilted to the side almost hopefully, as if he wouldn't really mind if Sasuke went back to ravishing him. When Sasuke merely settled onto the bed behind him and pressed his cheek against Naruto's hair, though, he continued.

"I used to think it sounded like a monster roaring," Naruto said, sounding slightly embarrassed, "And then I'd have nightmares of this really big monster fox eating everyone in Konoha…"

Sasuke paused in the middle of nuzzling against Naruto's hair and frowned, lifting himself onto one arm to look into Naruto's face. The blond was watching him carefully, a bit of apprehension showing in his blue eyes. For a moment, the Uchiha heir thought, trying to figure out why Naruto's statement bothered him.

"'Really big monster fox'?" he asked as casually as he could. Naruto's posture became wary as a number of things began clicking together in Sasuke's mind. "Naruto, you couldn't possibly have been remembering the Kyuubi. That happened before you were even born."

"I was born on October tenth," Naruto said, his voice hushed and – was that fear? The last piece fell into place.

"The Yondaime," Sasuke breathed, all the boring history lessons Iruka had once taught them gaining a sudden, new importance in the light of this revelation. He'd always thought that it was strange that the demon fox – powerful enough to demolish shinobi villages – had been brought down by a single man in Konoha; he'd always suspected that the fox had either been sealed away or banished, but for all that he'd searched for information on the Kyuubi's defeat, he'd never been able to find any records regarding the jutsu used. "The Kyuubi – you're the one he sealed the demon into."

The tensing of Naruto's shoulders gave him just enough warning before his lover tried to escape from the cage of his arms and legs, scrambling blindly for the edge of the bed. Quickly, Sasuke pinned him to the mattress, ignoring the small, stinging cuts Naruto's nails cut into his flesh as he tried to trap the flailing arms against Naruto's sides. The blond seemed beyond reason, his breaths coming harshly and quickly as he actually whined upon finding he could not escape, a high-pitched noise in the back of his throat that was far too canine for Sasuke to dismiss his new revelation offhandedly. The scent of his sweat, however, and the fear shining in his blue eyes were all too human. Any doubts that Sasuke might have had regarding his lover's humanity disappeared the instant Naruto let out a soft keening wail and went limp beneath him.

Sasuke leaned over Naruto, attempting to catch the elusive blue gaze that seemed to flicker everywhere but at his face. After a moment, the dark-haired man sighed.

"I won't ask why you didn't tell me, because I think the answer is fairly obvious," he said, trying to sound the same as he always did, for all that he was shaken by the violence of Naruto's reaction to his revelation. Never, in all the years they had known each other, had Naruto ever tried to run from him. "But – couldn't you trust me enough to tell me?"

Naruto finally looked at him, his gaze narrow and wary like a trapped animal's as he searched Sasuke's face for something to give away his inner thoughts. Slowly, he began to relax, a hint of puzzlement entering his expression, as if he was surprised by how Sasuke was acting.

"You're not angry?" He asked cautiously, clearly bewildered, "You're not, I don't know, feeling any sudden urges to gut me and hang me by my entrails from the nearest power pole?"

Sasuke gave him a flat look.

"I wasn't before, but if that's how you thought I'd react to this, I might start contemplating the idea." Sasuke hesitated, looking torn for a moment. "I thought you knew me better than that."

Naruto shifted slightly under him, reminding Sasuke of the fact that he was still pinning his smaller lover to the bed. The Uchiha immediately released him and lay next to Naruto, propping himself up on an elbow and keeping an arm and leg slung over Naruto, partially to dissuade any further attempts to escape, and partially to reassure his uncharacteristically twitchy lover that he wasn't deserting him.

"Well, I don't know." Naruto said seriously, "I've seen perfectly nice and rational people start frothing at the mouth the moment they see me. I usually start looking for escape routes when they start calling me names, and I run when their eyes go all red and scary."

Sasuke almost scowled as he began remembering all the apparently random incidents of nastiness towards Naruto that he'd noticed before but had never understood. Naruto was unusually quiet, cerulean eyes tracking every flitting emotion as it manifested itself on Sasuke's face.

With an explosive sigh, Sasuke frowned down at Naruto, reaching out to trace the whisker marks with his fingertip.

"So these - ?" he asked, brushing against the smooth skin of Naruto's cheek – he supposed Naruto's apparent hairlessness was also a result of his hosting the unwilling fox demon, as was his relatively small size; most of Naruto's energy, he figured, which would normally go towards growing, had apparently been diverted towards keeping the seal intact.

Naruto nodded, his gaze still guarded as he waited for the other shoe to drop. Finally, Sasuke sighed again and reached out to poke Naruto in the nose.

"You were paranoid for nothing," he said dryly, "You should've known I'm not like most people."

Sasuke could almost literally see the tension leave Naruto's body. The fox-carrier practically melted into the sheets with relief, blue eyes closing for a moment as he laid the back of his arm against them. Then, Naruto grinned, a quick flash of white teeth.

"You're right; I should have realized that you're neither nice nor rational," Naruto joked, grin widening at the disgruntled look Sasuke gave him, "So the worst that could've happened would be you treating me _nicely_ for once."

"Oh?" said Sasuke, lifting himself to hover over Naruto as he gave the blond man a slow, predatory smile. He suddenly felt the need to reassure Naruto of his love, of his humanity – to tell Naruto with his body what he could never say with words. "I'd say I treat you _quite_ nicely fairly often."

Blue eyes tracked his every movement, the tip of Naruto's tongue darting out to wet suddenly dry lips as Sasuke prowled up the length of his body. A faint, answering smile curved Naruto's mouth as he stretched beneath his dark lover, purposefully causing the slender muscles beneath his tanned skin to ripple and shift. Sasuke watched him hungrily and bent his neck to rest his forehead against Naruto's, close enough so that Naruto was nothing more than a blur of blue, tan, and gold. His gaze softened, though he knew Naruto couldn't see the expression, and lifted a hand to caress the side of Naruto's face.

"You're human, Naruto," he whispered, "You're more human than anyone I've ever met."

He felt Naruto smile, strong, slender arms draping over his neck, pulling him down slightly as Naruto brushed his lips against his.

"And you, Sasuke," he breathed, "Are a far bigger sap than I ever give you credit for."

Sasuke ignored that, closing the distance between them to give Naruto a deep, lingering kiss that seemed to last for a blissful eternity. He followed the kiss with another, and another, filling his senses with the sensation of _his _Naruto, until all thoughts of fox demons and hateful villagers were the last things on either of their minds.

A long while later, the sated lovers lay twined on the bed together again, the rumbling of the thunderstorm gradually dying away outside and fading to the faint sizzle of rain along the rooftops. Sasuke rested his head on Naruto's chest, loving the sound of the other man's steady heartbeats beneath his ear as Naruto absently combed his fingers through the damp locks of Sasuke's hair. Closing his eyes, Sasuke settled against his lover.

"Get some sleep, Naruto," he murmured, "We have that mission to the Wave Country tomorrow."

"Says the man _after_ he ravishes me so thoroughly that I'm not sure I'll be able to walk straight," Naruto grumbled. He laughed softly as Sasuke poked him in the ribs and wriggled until he and Sasuke were both comfortably beneath the covers, yawning slightly. "Ah, well, it's just a delivery mission. Piece – " he yawned again, "- of cake…"

Sasuke hummed in response, and soon, the two were fast asleep.

--

To be continued…

--

Comments and Criticism?

Wolf


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